


Mother

by disgraceful



Category: PIERCE Tamora - Works, Tortall - Tamora Pierce
Genre: Corus (Tortall), Mother-Son Relationship, Series: Protector of the Small
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-14
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2020-06-27 21:18:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19797955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/disgraceful/pseuds/disgraceful
Summary: Kel finds she doesn't mind the nickname "Mother" anymore.





	Mother

Keladry of Mindelan had been 18 the first time someone called her mother. Tobe hadn’t been with her long before he said it. He’d meant it as a joke, teasing her for being after him about behaving while she was away but it had made her heart swell all the same. He said it quite often after he realized she wouldn’t swat him for it. Anytime he felt she was being over bearing there he was with a quick smile and a teasing “yes mother”

Her friends under her command soon started to pick it up as well. Anytime she tried to be protective of her friends (and that was often) they would tease her. She had retorted on more than one occasion about the various beatings she may have given were she actually their mother though Kel knew should could never lay a hand on a child. 

Hearing Dom say it had done weird things to her stomach making her wonder is he would call his wife mother when they had children. She had pushed this aside quickly as the Scranrans would run her though if she wasn’t careful, mother or not.

Neal was most often saying it when she pushed his vegetables on him. She had once kicked him under a table at a wedding for some lord or another and glared at his plate. His grumbled reply of “As you say mother” had earned her another batch of swirling rumors that her and Neal were lovers and she was with child. Fortunately, Yuki knew of the nickname already, in fact she had used it once or twice when Kel cautioned her during glaive practice. 

Kel had to admit she preferred it to being called the Protector of the Small, to her the name Mother said the same thing and it was much less of a mouthful. 

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The first time Lord Wyldon said it to her was posed as a question. He had come to survey New Hope and bring her much needed supplies as The Crowns way of thanking her for protecting her people. She been showing him around the walls of and therefore had been running late to spear training with the little ones when three of them came looking for her.  
Wyldon had ignore the calls of the children sure they were for one of the many other families but started when Keladry turned to face them with a smile “Mother! Mother! Why are you late? You’re never late.” Said the youngest looking one before an older girl elbowed him motioning to Wyldon. 

As the children bowed to lord Wyldon he turned to Kaeladry eye brows raised “Mother?” The Lady Knight sighed slightly as she replied though he could see her eyes were soft with a smile she kept hidden “They haven’t got ones of their own anymore sir so I’m the next best thing apparently” Keladry said grinning slightly at him knowing he was taking in the image of a 19 year old knight with three children clinging to her waist. 

Lord Wlydon had then denied her offer of having a sergeant complete his tour of the walls and instead followed her and the children outside to the waiting group of about 20. He knew she had trained all her civilians that would fight but the sight of a boy around 8 holding a spear startled him even if he had been the training master. 

The pages had started at 10 or 11 generally and while many of the children on the pitch were the same or older they were small from being under fed and against the backdrop of New Hopes walls which was covered in raiders shields they looked smaller but determination was written all over their small features as they observed the Lady Knight slowly performing the exercises for them to try. He watched for a while being going to a girl of he guessed to be about about 13 to help with her footing. 

He took Keladry's lead in teaching style making gentle suggestions, because though he knew she had trained to the sound of his battle field yells he doubted she would take well to him yelling at her charges. As he wandered around the training pitch he could hear calls of “mother! Can you show me that hold again” just as often as someone called her by her title or even her name. He smiled, he wasn’t sure if Keladry would ever have a family of her own, he was done trying to guess what she would do, but she was already a mother. 

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Kel had started to wonder if she might have to make sure her own children called her Mama as she seemed to have everyone calling her mother despite her age. She smiled as she remembered the first time anyone used that. It had been Tobe again but this time not in jest. After their return to New hope he refused even more vehemently about having his own room though Kel made sure there was one for him, it worked as guest chambers for now. 

They both had nightmares about the nothing man now but this night Tobe woke screaming. Kel flew from her bed sending sparrow fluttering but she was at Tobe's side in seconds gently shaking him awake. He had looked at her his eyes red and tears streaming down his cheeks, this one had been bad Kel knew. She gathered the boy up and despite a single febal protest on his part brought him to her bed and lay next to him. She knew it might not have been proper for her to bring the boy who was technically her servant into her bed but Kel did not care one bit. 

As she gently tucked the blanket around the boy whos shaking was gradually slowing she wrapped one muscled arm around him like a protective shield. She knew Tobe might be embarrassed in the morning but she wouldn’t bring it up if he didn’t. as she was drifting back to sleep she heard the faintest “Thank you Mama” from the boy. The first thing Kel did when she found a clerk the next morning was to ask them about the particulars of adopting and to send a letter to her father for permission to make her son officially Tobeis of Mindelan, a boy who would be a boon on nobody.

**Author's Note:**

> First fanfic ever so be kind please :)


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